When choosing my top five anime to watch each season, I only evaluate and select newer anime. Anime that have been given a second or more seasons often signify popularity or success, leading to their continuation. Typically, anime fans are already familiar with these series, having started watching them years ago, or they might need to revisit previous seasons to enjoy the new ones if they're new to the genre.
Therefore, I prefer to choose five new anime each season to evaluate and determine the best ones.
The problem is that this season, I haven't felt the new anime were good or up to par. Some have good animation but poor storylines, while others have good stories but poor animation. Sometimes, the characters are irritating and unlikable.
I've noticed this season that romance anime are getting good attention, which isn't surprising since romance is more popular in summer movies and TV series. Romance content is usually shorter, typically limited to one season for a series and an hour and a half for a film. In the case of anime, I expect most romance anime this season will also be one-season series.
The goal is lighthearted, emotional content that aligns with the holiday atmosphere. Is this also the case in Japan? Perhaps... probably.
And now, the top five anime for the summer season:
Fifth place: Uchi no Otouto-domo ga Sumimasen
A romantic comedy anime. The premise isn't new: a girl's mother marries a man with four sons, and she moves in with them. She tries her best to be a good sister, taking care of the house, her studies, her four brothers, and trying to solve their problems. Meanwhile, the series includes romantic scenes with the eldest brother, who is in her high school class.
The girl doesn't show overt romantic attraction unless the boy overdoes it with his behavior. However, the push and pull between them creates some lighthearted comedic moments. The characters are very likable, and the animation is good. It's a lovely anime that you'll enjoy watching.
Fourth Place: Otome Kaijuu Caraméliser
This school romance fantasy series is similar to Beauty and the Beast, but in reverse, or perhaps more like Hulk and Betty Ross. In this story, the girl is the beast. She's a beautiful, quiet, and introverted girl who falls in love with her classmate, who reciprocates her feelings. He's a very handsome boy.
Whenever the girl's emotions become intense, parts of her, or all of her, transform into a Kaiju, a huge and frightening monster resembling a dinosaur.
The boy doesn't know that the girl he loves and is dating is the Kaiju that terrorizes the city and appears periodically. Both the girl and the Kaiju counterpart have eyes that turn into hearts and overflow with emotion whenever they see the boy, who can sense both of their feelings. It's a sweet and enjoyable story about a girl trying to control her emotions while dating the boy she loves.
Third Place: Nijusseiki Denki Mokuroku: Eureka Evrika
This historical drama series presents a fresh take on the transition from the steam age to the electric age. A young man attempts to revive the electric age with the help of notes his brother made about ideas he conceived when he was younger. The brother goes to war and disappears, but the notes are returned to the younger brother, who then embarks on a journey to bring his and his brother's ideas to life.
There are some unresolved mysteries, along with hints, subplots, and a villainous character who seems to be hiding a great secret. This Netflix anime offers high-quality animation and engaging characters, though some aspects of the story are weak. Nevertheless, it's worth watching.
Second Place: Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den
This historical romance fantasy series features one of the best female characters of the season. A young woman struggling with health issues, she tries her best to fight her illness while living in the palace. She is the prince's favorite maiden until she is cursed or bewitched, transferring her soul to another, envious maiden who tries to steal the prince's affection and the young woman's place.
The girl doesn't seem angry about this change, despite the mistreatment she receives after her soul is in the body of the evil girl. In fact, she finally enjoys her life, having finally regained her health. She sews her own clothes, farms, cooks, and enjoys life to the fullest, conveying one of the most important messages that people often overlook these days: health is the true treasure, not money, status, fame, or even love.
The characters are endearing, the story is engaging, and the anime and art are captivating and very good.
First Place: Tenmaku no Jaadugar
This historical drama series, while lacking the animation some prefer, offers one of the best stories of the season. Rooted in true Mongolian history, it tells the story of a slave girl taken to the Mongol camps after her village in Khorasan was attacked. She becomes a slave to the wives of Genghis Khan's sons, seeking revenge for what happened to her mistress and to retrieve the book for which her mistress died. A young woman who takes the name of her deceased mistress, Fatima, joins forces with one of Ögedei Khan's wives to seek revenge against the Mongols.
It's a remarkable story of perseverance, resilience, and enduring hardship, while also introducing one of the season's best female characters: a once-slave girl who learned to read, write, and study, only to find herself robbed of her life, her town, and her dreams. She then embarks on a quest for vengeance against those who stole her life, using her intelligence and resourcefulness to achieve this.
On the other hand, there are some good anime that present good stories and female characters, for example :
The anime *Toumei na Yoru ni Kakeru Kimi to, Me ni Mienai Koi wo Shita* presents a remarkable female character: a blind girl striving to overcome her disability and live a full life. Her resilience, her relentless pursuit of enjoyment, and her cheerful personality bring about a genuine change in the feelings of a withdrawn and negative young man.
Similarly, the anime *Tefuda ga Oome no Victoria* presents a strong woman who attempts to conceal her past as a former agent by faking her death and moving to a new town to start a new life. However, she finds herself entangled in a web of events, including a love story, motherhood, and the revelation of her secret.
There are also some anime that some might want to check out; some are romantic, but they really suffer from poor animation quality. The female characters often appear weak, hesitant, and lacking in confidence due to past events, as in the anime *Oni no Hanayome*, or naive and innocent, as in *Kimi wo Aisuru Ki wa Nai*. Although the way she accepted her husband's announcement on their wedding night that their marriage was merely a formality and that she had to maintain appearances didn't affect her at all, as is usually the case in this type of story, she accepted it gracefully, agreed to his conditions, and continued living her life normally. She tended her garden, did her embroidery and sewing, and fulfilled her duties alongside the young duke, caring for his health. This made the character fascinating until the girl began to doubt herself, wondering if she was good enough to be by the young duke's side in public. This made her previous behavior seem to stem from a feeling that she didn't deserve the marriage, rather than from a lack of concern.
Meanwhile, the anime Dogulwang seems like another attempt at a solo leveling work, similar in character design and content.